Apparatus for constructing subaqueous walls and the like.



PATBNTED NOV, 6. 1906.

A. J. DUOELLIER. GTING SUBAQUBOUS WALLS AND THE LIKE APILIGATION FILED DEG. 29, 1904.

APPARATUS FOR GONSTRU 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 835,238. PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906. A. J. DUGELLIERL APPARATUS FOR OONSTRUG'I'ING SUBAQUEOUS WALLS AND THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 29. 1904.

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No. 835,238. PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906. A. J. DUGELLIER. APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS WALLS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION IILBD DEC. 29. 1904.

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No. 835,238. PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906. A. J. DUGELLIBR. APPARATUS FOR GONSTRUGTING SUBAQUEOUS WALLS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 29, 1904.

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- To all whomit may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ALFRED JULIEN DU- cELLI R,.a citizen of the -Re ublic of France, .residing at Vineuil, near antilly, France, have invented certain new and useful Imgrovements in Apparatus forConstructing ubaqueous Walls and the Like, of which the follow ng is a specification. This invention 1 relates to apparatus for 1o erecting subaqueous orv artiall -subaqueous I walls, such as dams, ocks, l ocks, quays,

- jetties, and the like.

Among the objects of the invention'is to provide apparatus by means of which this p ose may be rapidly and efficiently carrie out;

Other objects of the invention will appear as the sameis better understood.

'Tlie novel features of the invention will be ereinafteridescribed, and finally pointed out in the claims. the accompanying drawings, in which ..corrsponding parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout, Fig- 2 5 ure .1 is a plan view of the improved appatus. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the panels constituting t e running inclosure or caisson. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of one of said anels. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation o the special part or nose-section of the apparatus and of the compressed-air chamber. Fig. 6 is a' plan view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an end elevation. showing the guiding means for the 3-5 anels forming the compressed-air chamber. A 8 is a detail viewof the lower part of the caisson, showing the arra ement of the packing. Fig. 9 is a detail e ge view of the packing. Fig. 10 is adetail end view show- 4o ing the means by which the panels are rolled 1 7 along the caisson. Fig. 11 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a detail top plan view showing the mounting of the horizontal'panel of the air-chamber with respect to the walls of the caisson, and Fig. F 15 a detail side view of the parts shown in he improved apparatus comprises a runinclosure formed by two parallel walls A B and C D, Figs. 1 and 2, and of a second special part E F and G H. Throughout the whole length of the structures A B and C D the inclosure is formed of similar elements connected end to end in longitudinal direc- 5 5 tion.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 29, 1904. Serial No. 238,814.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J LIEN. DUGELLIER, 0F VINEUIL, NEAR CHANTILLY, FRANCE.

APPARATUS-FOR CONSTRUCTING SUBAQUEOUS WALLS AND THE LIKE.

I Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

An element or panel ofithe running inclosure can be constituted, say, by two vertical parallel metal plates I J, Figs. 3 and 4, connected together and forming one side of the panel. At its lower end the inner plate is bent out- 66 ward so as to join a horizontal portion K or to join the outside plate and form with it a knife-edge. The outside plate is vertical along the whole of its height or bent inward .so as to reduce the resistance due to thejg friction of the walls in the ground at the moment of removing the panel. A similari construction constitutes the other side of the panel. The two sides of the same panel 7 are connected together by two transverse'f ii girders M, to the ends of which are secured t vertical plates N, transversely connecting along the whole of their height the two plates 1 of one and the same side. order to enable the panels to be connected to each other, an- 7 5 gle-irons O are arranged inside and atthe vertical ends of the longitudinal plates. Plates P are riveted to the transverse sides of these an le-irons and form with the connection wal s of the lateral sides com' artmentsQ for the men who effect the b0 tin of the end of the inclosure with the panel which is to be added to the said end. The end compartments R are filled with the necessary ballast. '1,

The special part of the inclosure is constituted by two walls E F and G H, Figs. 5 and 6, connected together by a transverse arti-' tion S. It does not form a closed inc osure and water freely enters on both sides of the artition S. The distance between the inner ongitudinal walls is greater than the dis-*- tance between the outer walls of the-running inclosure described, so that this special art or nose-section can slide on the latter on- 9 5 gitudinal direction. A bucket-chain' T or pum s remove the necessary earth ffor permitting the building up of the masonry on a solid ground or at a sufiicient depth. A front projection or rib U connects the ver- 10o tical end of this special part with the linei slope of the excavation and penetrates into the earth in front of that line.. Thelon'gitudinal walls of this part are constituted two metal plates V X, forming between them re 5 a compartment, by means of whichwhenever necessary the weight of this art of the structure can be reduced as regards its buoyancy or increased by the introduction of ballast into the said compartment. .This no compartment continues down to the earth, and the walls below that point are provided with strong plates added for stiffening the inner plates. When the removal of the excavated ground allows it, this part longitudinally advances under the action of screwjacks Y Z, secured behind this part and resting on the fixed inclosure.

The panels are removed by an a paratus- A, Fig. 2, as the masonry at the bacli is completed and carried and put in place in front y the said apparatus whichtravels for. the purpose on the upper portion of the caisson.

In order to put down a layer of concrete required for insuring the impermeability of the bottom of the inclosure, an apparatus is used constituted by two transverse partitionsB and C, Figs. 5 and 6. The length of these partitions is equal to the inner width of. the inclosure with the walls of which they form a-tight joint by means of packing D, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The artition B rests on. the plates covering the ottom with which-it makes atight joint by means of the packing E. The partition (3'v rests on theu persurface of the layer of concrete with w ch it makes tight joint by means-of pack- ..j. A horizontal partition G is secured tQflleetwotransverse partitions and makes. tight joint with the innnerwalls of the in:- closureby means of packing H, Fig. 7. A working chamber of a compressed-air caisson is thus constituted at I. In the'portionsituated. above the bottom partition or floor G of the air-chamber the transverse artitions are connected by longitudinal wal s J, Fig. 6, the bottoms of which are securedto the cover or ceiling B of the working'chamber, andthus forms a compartment isolated from .'the fixed inclosure and intended to receive the required ballast. During the whole execution of one and the same work this comressed-air apparatus is never taken to pieces.

t moves longitudinally as the work advances, traveling by means of rollers K, (on the spindles of which it is suspended,) which roll on a track L, secured to the inner walls of the fixed inclosure, as shown inFigs. 10 and 11. This apparatus is connected to the movable part of the inclosure by girders M and participates in the advance movement of the said art, the movement of the whole structure eing regulated by the requirements of the movement ofthe compressedeair appa-' ratus. At the moment when it is necessary to make anadvance the pressure which is sup lied or mechanically produced in order to rmly apply the packing against the surfaces atv which a tight joint must be made is reduced-so that the movement of the latter surfaces cantake place without any tearing or jamming, the screw-jacks act and shift the whole. structure to the necessary extent, and the 1 )iaI.1ck1ng isagain applied, and so on. The p I gs,.D E E are composed of strips-ct rubber or similar material, generally doubled,

temporarily fixed by means of bolts or angleirons, such as shown in Fig. 9, to the supporting parts in such a manner that the air or water under pressure Will'make them adhere closely against the surfaces against which they abut, whereby said packings form air and water tight joints. The upper compartment of this apparatus is provided with openings 0', Figs. 5, 6, 12, and 13, which enable transverse girders P tobe arranged, to the ends of which are secured. horizontal rollers Q, Figs. 12. and 13, which when the compressed-air apparatus moves travel on theinner walls of the inclosure. These girders constitute movable struts in case it should be necessary toconnect the walls together for resisting outside pressure to which they are subjected. This apparatus closes one of-the ends'of the inclosure, and the partition P Figs. 1 and 2, of a shape ada ted to the crosssection of the wall to be bui t in order that it may make properjoint with the face of that wall by means ofpackingQfl closes the other en The height of the working chamber depends on the thickness of the layer of concrete to be made by means of compressedair for insuring the impermeability of the bottom of the inclosure, and its lengthmust be such as to enable the quantity ofconcrete tobe used necessary for attaining the desired rapidity of execution, also to enable the pre paratory work that must be executed before the putting in place of the concrete, cleaning the bottom of the excavation, &c., to be effected. When the layer of concrete is made at one point of the necessary thickness in this manner, it will not be necessary to leave this portion under the action of compressed air until it is properly set, since i mpermeability can be attained by making'a lower layer of the said concrete with quickly-setting cement and increasing the proportion of the cement according to circumstances or placin on the bottom of the excavation .a-thin meta or other sheet, which being covered with concrete will insure impermeability of the bottom of the inclosure.

The building up. of masonry above the.

layer produced by means of compressed air I is carried outinthe open air alongthe length that is necessary forcarrying on the work with the required speed. The present apparatus. enables the whole work to be executed in concrete or in masonry, or, if desired, up to a certain hei ht in concrete and-the restin masonry. A%ong the length of the inclosure corresponding to the space occupied by the compressed-air apparatus the outside ressure acting on the walls of the inclosure is neutralized by the girder-struts already referred to, which follow the movements of this a paratus. Itimight also be necessary to st en or to stay the next portionthat=1s to say, the walls between them along the length of the inclosure where the body of the dam is carried out in the open air. This condition could be complied with by using girders stren thening the two walls between them and p aced at a suitable level and length and successively replaced before their removalnecessitated by the erection of masonry by other supports resting, on the one hand, on one wall of the inclosure and, on the other, on supports or plates a plied to the face of the maso walls. It is,iiowever, preferable to effect t is consolidation by a process which would at the same time facilitate the execution of the concrete or of the masonry work. To that end, the inner walls of the inclosure are provided, over the whole of their hei ht situated above the concrete made wit the assistance of compressed air, with movable panels R, Figs. 4, 7, and 8, each of which can be of the same len th as that of the inclosureanels, but of less eight than that of the inc osure. All these panels, intended to be arranged in the plane of the surface of.

the work, rest against the inner walls of the inclosure: At the moment when each panel is connected to the end of the inclosure, in order to extend it, they remain in that position' until, owing to the advance of the compressed-air apparatus, the back partition of that com artment has entirely assed it. This pane is then situated at the p ace where the-masonry is being built in open air. As the back artition moves along the length of this pane stays or struts B are placed between the panels facing each other, except between the two bottom panels. The bottom panels are arranged so that their inner faces are in the same plane as the surface of the structure to be built, and they serve as cofiers for the concrete or as alinements for the masonry, the surface of which rests against the face of the panels in order that they should constitute a support or stay for that portion. The supports or stays of the second 1planel are then removed, and these panels, e the preceding ones, are brought mto alinement with the work, and so on. As shown in Fig. 4 of the annexed drawings, the panels R are placed in vertical series. The upper panels abut absolutely against the panels of the inclosure, while the bottom panels are spaced slightly backward from the inclosing panels. They constitute, as stated, a cofi'er-dam, in which the concrete is filled, which serves as an alinement for the brickwork, accordi to the method of construction used. en the brickwork has been brought up to the hei ht of the top of the bottom panels, the paneTs next above are shifted in such a way to lengthen the bottom panels, and the upper panels then do the same service for the woodwork and the concrete that the bottom panels formerly did, and so on. The movement of the movable and a compressed-air chamber in said caisson at the rear of said nose-section.

2. The combination, with a caisson constituted by parallel upright walls, of a nosesection embodying walls slidable along the outer faces of said first-named walls and open to the assage of water, and means for longitudinally shifting said nose-section.

3. The combination, with a caisson, of a nose-section at the front end of the caisson, means for advancing said section as the work progresses, interconnected partitions in the caisson at the rear of the nose-section forming a compressed-air cement-setting chamber, and means for connecting one of said partitions with said nose-section.

4. The combination, with a caisson, of a nose-section at the front of the same, an excavating mechanismmounted insaid section, means for advancing said section as the work pro resses, vertical and horizontal partitions in t e caisson at the rear of the nose-section forming a hermetically-sealed compressedair concrete-setting chamber, said partitions being interconnected and slidable in said caisson, and beams or girders connecting the front partition or wall of the chamber thus formed with a part of said nose-section.

5. The combination, with the caisson, of the nose-section at the front of the same, the excavating mechanism mounted in said section, the means for advancing said nose-section, the upright and horizontal panels or partitions forming the compressed-air chamber in the caisson at the rear of said nose-section and the chamber above said air-chamber, said partitions being interconnected sub stantially as described, the means for suspending said panels from and iding the same along the upper edges of t e caissonwalls, and the means connectin the forward upright panel or partition wit said nosesection.

6. The combination, with the caisson embodying parallel upright walls, of a compressed-air chamber formed therein at the base thereof by upright partitions and a horizontal partition disposed-intermediately of the height of said walls, and struts extending between said walls above said last-named partition.

IIC

7. Theeembinati'on, with the caisson emand form-in an air-chamber, and means for bodying. parallel walls,- oi. a compressed air shifting sai partitions longitudinally of the .ehamber formed therein by upright partitions caisson. and a horizontal partition dis osed inter- In testimony whereof I have signed this 5 termediately of the height of said walls, and specification in the presence of two subscrib- 15 transversely-Extending struts provided with ing witnesses; terminal rollers enga 'ng' the inner faces of said walls exteriorly o the air-chamber;-

8. A caisson' embodying parallel 11- right 10 walls, partitions disposed between sai wall's ALFRED JULIEN DUGELLIER. Witnesses:

EMILE LEDRET, JOHN BAKER. 

